Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/bballSourceCoach Nick breaks down this crucial game with playoff implications. Rick Carlisle opted to play Dirk Nowitzki his usual minutes, putting intense pressure on the rest of his team to compete. The Lakers, on the other hand, treated this like a knockout game - with Kobe playing all but 1 minute. They facilitated their offense through him almost exclusively, and accordingly blew out the Mavericks.